WASHINGTON, D.C. – Demetrious Johnson had one of the best styles for Dominick Cruz, his conditioning was superb, his aggression was evident, and his will to win was unquestionable.

Still, it wasn’t enough to solve the puzzle that is the UFC’s one-of-a-kind bantamweight champion.

“Mighty Mouse” fell short in his attempt to dethrone Cruz in the headliner of Saturday’s UFC on Versus 6 event, which took place at Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center.

The night’s main card, including the Cruz vs. Johnson five-rounder, aired on Versus. The prelims streamed on Facebook. The title fight was the UFC’s first to air on free television since UFC 75 more than four years ago.

In the first two rounds, Johnson proved he could match Cruz’s speed. Both darted in and out of range, and each also scored takedowns. And though Cruz moved to side control with some of his, Johnson quickly got back to his feet and continually tagged him with shots on the break. Cruz, though, stuffed the attempts in the second round and delivered some solid knee strikes in the process.

The third round saw Cruz squander a great opportunity. After suplexing his opponent to the mat, Cruz worked his way to Johnson’s back and then flattened him out. Cruz twice tried to lock in a fight-ending choke, though Johnson escaped back to his feet. Cruz, though, scored another takedown and smothered Johnson to win the round.

“I wanted to show a little bit of my grappling in this fight,” Cruz said. “I was looking for that finish, but he toughed it out. I had that choke in twice, but he toughed it out.”

Cruz again got a dominant position in the fourth when he scored a takedown and transitioned to mount. But Johnson pulled him back into guard and eventually got to his feet. Once there, he unloaded punches and pushed the pace, but Cruz got another takedown to take another round.

“I was just surprised how strong he was,” Johnson said.

In the fifth and final round – and feeling a sense of urgency – Johnson stalked and unloaded punches and kicks. But Cruz corralled him, suplexed him, and then smothered him on the mat. Johnson frantically tried to get back to his feet, but each time he got back up, he quickly was taken back down. Cruz closed out the fight with a damaging knee that finally slowed the high-energy Johnson.

In the end, his first successful UFC title defense came via scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 50-45.

“I’ve been putting in a lot of work,” Cruz said. “I had to do two camps back-to-back. It
was a tough fight. The kid has a sick pace, so I had to out-wrestle him.
… I was ready for a wicked grind, a wicker pace. I just knew I needed
to slow him down with my size and strength.”

Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) now has won 10 straight fights, which included seven victories and two title defenses in the now-defunct WEC. Johnson (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) snaps a four-fight win streak.

Struve survives power bomb to tap Barry

It’s only a fitting what felt like a freak-show fight got a bizarre finish.

In a clash of heavyweights built in vastly different ways, 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve survived a power bomb from compact 5-foot-11 Pat Barry to score a second-round submission victory via triangle choke.

The heavily anticipated bout won’t affect the heavyweight title picture in any meaningful way, but fight fans were salivating over the truly unique matchup, which represented the biggest height discrepancy between two opponents in UFC history.

The first round proved a little action-light as each competitor tested his range, work some low kicks, and largely whiffed on any substantial blows. But in the second, Barry had success with low kicks and an overhand right. Just as he was taking a lead, though, Struve used a standing d’arce choke to force the fight to the mat. Barry initially looked like he’d escape, but Struve smoothly transitioned to a triangle choke. Then things got interesting.

Knowing he was in trouble, Barry lifted the 265-pound fighter fully off the ground and attempted to power bomb his way out of the hold. But Struve used an elbow to help brace for the fall, and he didn’t lose hold off the choke. Barry tapped moments later at the 3:22 mark of the round.

“I’m thrilled with the result,” said Struve, who had friendly and sometimes-humorous pre-fight media events with Barry. “This guy over here, Pat, is one of the coolest dudes in the UFC.”

“When he got his legs around me, I felt them get really tight very quickly, and the slam was a last-ditch effort to get him to let go,” Barry said. “I should have done it much sooner, but I just wasn’t able to get to my feet quick enough.”

The 23-year-old Struve (22-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is now 3-1 over his past four fights, and his only UFC losses have come to No. 1 contender Junior Dos Santos, “TUF 10″ champ Roy Nelson, and undefeated Travis Browne. Barry (6-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) suffers the first back-to-back losses of his pro-MMA career.

Johnson blasts Brenneman via head kick

Charlie Brenneman’s Cinderella story will be limited to one chapter for now.

After an upset of fast-rising Rick Story on a day’s notice a few months ago, MMA’s feel-good story ran into a buzzsaw against fellow welterweight Anthony Johnson.

Even before the fight, Johnson called Brenneman one of his scariest opponents because of his top-notch wrestling. But Johnson neutralized it early in the fight but stuffing a takedown. It left Brenneman pinned in a kneeling position with his forehead trapped against the canvas, and Johnson delivered a steady assault of punches and knees to the ribs.

Once Brenneman got to his feet, he was dazed and staggered with punches. He then clung to the cage with one hand while trying to get his feet to support his weight. But Johnson then unloaded a left high kick to the face that sent Brenneman tumbling backward, which prompted referee Mario Yamasaki’s intervention.

Although Brenneman was clearly alert after the kick, the brunt force of the blow justified the stoppage, which came at the 2:49 mark of the opening round.

“He was the first guy that made me nervous before a fight,” Johnson said. “His wrestling was the complete package, so I was preparing for it nonstop leading up to the fight. I prepared for everything coming into this fight, and I wanted the win.

“I hit him hard quite a few times in a row, and he didn’t look like he was all there. I landed that head kick and put him on the canvas. He looked done to me, but if that kick hadn’t done it, the punches that would have come afterward would have.”

Johnson (10-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) picks up his fifth win in six fights and moves a step closer to a potential title fight with champ Georges St-Pierre. Brenneman (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffers a setback after a recent 9-1 run in his 10 previous bouts.

Wiman edges Danzig in barnburner

The result was the same even though the fight was much different.

In a long-awaited rematch between two of the lightweight division’s grittiest fighters, Matt Wiman edged equally tough Mac Danzig for a unanimous-decision victory.

The fighters and former “TUF” cast members first fought more than a year ago at UFC 115, where Wiman earned a dubious submission victory when the referee erroneously halted the bout when he believed Danzig had went unconscious from a guillotine choke. A scheduled rematch was scratched due to injuries, but it was finally rebooked for UFC on Versus 6 in what was an early pick for “Fight of the Night” honors.

It didn’t fail to deliver on those expectations.

Much of the fight took place in close quarters, where dirty boxing, including short punches and effective elbow strikes, scored for both fighters. But Wiman landed with more frequency, especially with ground and pound on the mat. Danzig mixed in some good shots, as well, but Wiman simply landed more often and with more effectiveness.

The fighters kept a solid pace throughout the 15-minute affair, but in the end, all three judges awarded Wiman the decision victory via 29-28 scores.

“I pushed the pace and did more damage than him,” Wiman said. “I was also way more aggressive. Mac did fantastic tonight and has nothing to be ashamed of because I’ve been on that side of things too. But I can’t deny that it feels good to be on this side of things.”

Both fighters left the cage badly bruised and bloodied from the entertaining affair, though Danzig had little to complain about.

“I thought my shots that stumbled him would have been enough in the judges’ eyes for the victory,” Danzig said. “But I guess he landed more, and his rally in the third when he was on top secured it for him. He was just more active than me throughout the fight. I can’t complain about the decision. … It’s my job to finish the fight.”

Wiman (14-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) successfully rebounds from a July loss to Dennis Siver and moves to 4-1 over his past five fights. Danzig (20-9-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) falls to 2-4 in his past six.

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